The Way They Were
by Dragon Empress
Summary: (Drama. Some Mudshipping.) The original crew of GS were together for a very long time, and they faced a lot together... "And they never forgot that, even when they all grew up. ‘Cos they never really did, y’know, just kids playing bigger roles." Turne


ME: Whoo. Hi again, folks. I'm back with yet another daft one-shot. This one came to me out of nowhere whilst going back and re-paying the good old original GS…

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN A THING. NOPE, NOTHING. SERIOUSLY, IF I DID THOUGH, I'D BE CONSIDERABLY RICHER THAN YOU.

ME: Okay then! Heh, this is another decidedly odd one. But it's actually turned out quite good, so give it a try…

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And it was all kinda simple in the beginning.

_Three young men and a little girl._

And they never forgot that, even when they all grew up. 'Cos they never really did, y'know, just kids playing bigger roles. They didn't want to warriors, didn't want to fight. 

And that was the thing too. 'Cos they never, ever really had the choice. 

And that was what made it hurt all the more. 

Now, _Ivan_ was the youngest. Fifteen, if you can believe it. And the others were like his big brothers and sister. He maybe looked up to them, but then, he maybe just wanted them to keep him safe sometimes. 'Cos life was tough for them, for him, and living with Isaac and Garet just made him even tougher. 

Through it all, he was always the little guy too. Always. And he was weak sometimes, and childish, but they treated him like their littlest brother anyway. 

'Cos that's what he was, really. 

He was smart too. And he had this thing; he always swore it, that when their journey was over, one day he'd find the time to write it all down.

And he would. He would let the world know just what they had done. 

But _Isaac_, he didn't want that. He wanted people to forget him, because all he ever needed really was to have something stable, something he could feel. 

Because he was a dreamer, Isaac. A dreamer and a romantic, way deep down inside himself. There was a boyish quality to his charm, and you wondered sometimes if he was truly in over his head. Because when he smiled after all, you could see right down to his wounded soul.

And when it came down to it all, perhaps he was just sad. Though don't ask him why, because he doesn't know. Perhaps it was because it was all just so hard sometimes, y'know. Or perhaps it was because he was the leader, and yet so often just didn't know where to begin…

'Cos he was still young too, way back then.

He thinks sometimes they all forget about that.

And that hurt too. And he mourned their childhoods, privately, sometimes. But he got over it, because usually the others were there to help him along. And because it was just like he always said:

"I can pretend I miss it all, back then, but I don't. I don't, because you can never really miss what you've never had." 

And even though it was never acknowledged, he always knew that he wasn't just talking about himself. 

They knew it too; and they understood. 

And perhaps, nobody ever knew it more than she did. And perhaps, he fell in love with her just because that was true…

_Mia._ And there was a kind of sad, lonely air about this girl. She didn't have a painful past, not really, just a really, really quiet one. 

Quiet. Garet always said to her that nobody should ever have a quiet past, "Because then what's the point?" And she always just smiled at him, sadly, knowing that he was right. 

But as always, she learned to forget about it. 'Cos when you lived with just boys for a very long time, you couldn't afford to let these things get to you. She got tough fast, not because she wanted to, but again because in times like these, she just had to.

And because living with these boys could be, at times, so awfully hard. But you just had to deal with that. 

They left her in tears sometimes too, y'know. But in the end she'd always forgive them, because she cared for them all so much, just in totally separate ways. And because, for a while anyway, she was the love of their lives, without it ever really being like that. 

Because really, only Isaac ever had the strength, and the mind, to put up with her for an eternity.

_Garet_ was much too wild for Mia, and realised this immediately. So somehow, and it was funny when he thought about it, he began wanting Isaac to find her instead. Because he did love her, really, like a friend should, and just wanted all his friends to be happy. 

He saw things in black and white, Garet. And he was sometimes shallow and silly too, and he swore a lot, but that didn't ever make him any less than anybody else. If anything, maybe it even made him more human. 

Because he pushed all his sadness aside, and did what he needed to do, even when it broke his heart in two, or broke him down into tiny, little pieces.

And you never did forget Garet, simply because he'd never allow you to. 

And he got his heart broken every other week. 

But it wasn't about love. His heart didn't break because he was lonely, didn't break because he was sad. It was simply just broken, 'cos that was how it came. 

He was odd like that too, because he never, ever let it get to him. Not ever. Because he was just Garet, and somehow it winded up that he had to be strong, 'cos if he wasn't the rest would fall apart too. 

And he was strong, so they didn't fall apart. Though sometimes they came pretty damn close.

But all that mattered was that they didn't. The girl never quite turned into a cynic, the youngest boy never quite got tough like he needed to be, and the other two didn't ever lose their sparks. No matter how hard it got along the way. 'Cos they still never really grew up, just stayed kids playing their bigger roles. 

Now, Mia and Isaac broke up once or twice, on cold summer's afternoons. And each time she promised she wouldn't cry, and each time he promised he wouldn't make her. 

And each time, they promised they could make it work again. 

But whether they did or not was anybody's guess, 'cos they always seemed happy, on the outside.

And really, didn't that count for so much in these times? 

Naturally though, when Garet and Ivan knew the whole story, they were always so disappointed. And Garet would get angry with them both and punch Isaac in the jaw for hurting Mia, and for hurting himself by pushing her away. And then Mia would cry again, whilst Ivan sat her down and talked to her quietly. 

Because there were fights sometimes too, like that. After all, even the best of friends could never be perfect. 

And then after it all, they would settle down again, and Mia would cast Ply on Isaac's jaw, letting her fingers rest on his face a little longer than was required. Then of course, Ivan would call for Garet to apologise. 

And of course, he never, ever would. 

Because that was just how it was. And somehow, strangely in it's own way, what they had was good. It didn't need to change, even when they did themselves. Even when it got so hard they almost gave up, they still had each other to rely on, and that was enough. Most of the time. 

And even when it wasn't, they were still alright. Because they were good kids, still forever putting on those bigger roles. 

And they were really, truly alright the way they were.

_Three young men and a little girl. _

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ME: Well, there you are, folks. Reviews would be nice, if you please. 


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